Funder: Programme “Europe for citizens” 2014 – 2020
Strand 2 – Measure 2.3 "Civil Society Projects"
Project number: 601141-CITIZ-1-2018-1-BG-CITIZ-CIV
Time frame : September 2018-August 2019
Social media: www.facebook.com/vote4youreurope/
Partnership consists of 9 European partners on democratic engagement and civic participation.
Association Expert Pool – Bulgaria (EXPBG) (Lead Partner)
Union of Associations MULTIKULTURA – Poland
Shoqata Shqiptare e Ambientalisteve Industriale (AAIE) – Albania
APSHSTDC – Portugal
PROFAT – Lithuania
Institute for Innovation, Design and Entrepreneurship – Spain
PEIPSI CTC – Estonia
M2C Institut – Germany
EUROPEAN REPUBLIC – Greece
Eprojectconsult – Italy
The objective of this project is to find new tools for citizenship awareness, through the implementation of workshops that compare and discuss the political agendas in the beneficiary countries.We work for:
- Motivating EU citizens to vote and encouraging their active democratic participation;
- Developing a stronger sense of ownership of the European project;
- Provoking a debate on the rise of Euroscepticism and its implications for the voting process and future of the EU.
Each project country had a workshop on the political agendas of local parties and European bodies will be compared with each other, but also with the opinions of individuals.
The project consists of 3 transnational activities In Bulgaria, Portugal and Germany.
Event 1 “Youth space: why voting is important”
Participation: The event involved 54 citizens, including 3 participants from the city of Lisbon (Portugal), 3 participants from the city of Tirana (Albania), 3 participants from the city of Athens (Greece), 3 participants from the city of Bremen (Germany), 3 participants from the city of A Coruna (Spain), 3 participants from the city of Vilnius (Lithuania), 2 participants from the city of Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto (Italy), 3 participants from the city of Krakow (Poland), 1 participant from the city of Tartu (Estonia), 30 participants from the city of Sofia (Bulgaria).
Location / Dates: The event took place in Sofia, Bulgaria, from 23/11/2018 to 25/11/2018.
Short description: The aim of the event was to address the declining political participation of young people, and to debate why is crucial to be democratically engaged and how to increase youth interest and engage young people in democratic elections, using different tools such as mock elections, informational campaigns, ways of contacting youth, lowering the voting age, adapting the electoral system, etc.
Event 2 “Democracy tourists”
Participation: The event involved 54 citizens, including 2 participants from the city of Tirana (Albania), 2 participants from the city of Krakow (Poland), 4 participants from the city of A Coruna (Spain), 2 participants from the city of Tartu (Estonia), 3 participants from the city of Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto (Italy), 3 participants from the city of Athens (Greece), 3 participants from the city of Vilnius (Lithuania), 3 participants from the city of Bremen (Germany), 4 participants from the city of Sofia (Bulgaria), 28 participants from the city of Lisbon (Portugal).
Location / Dates: The event took place in Lisbon, Portugal, from 27/03/2019 to 29/03/2019
Short description: The aim of the event was to increase people’s interest in civic participation usin creative ways to show democracy in action. Every project partner presented democratic practices through videos, interviews, photographs, storytelling, etc. Showing the national aspects in the field, good/bad democratic practices were shared. Specific ways to create a more democratic Union were discussed.
Event 3 “A democracy day”
Participation: The event involved 75 citizens, including 2 participants from the city of Athens (Greece), 5 participants from the city of Sofia (Bulgaria), 3 participants from the city of A Coruna (Spain), 3 participants from the city of Vilnius (Lithuania), 1 participant from the city of Tartu (Estonia), 4 participants from the city of Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto (Italy), 3 participants from the city of Krakow (Poland), 3 participants from the city of Lisbon (Portugal), 2 participants from the city of Tirana (Albania) and 49 participants from the city of Bremen (Germany).
Location / Dates: The event took place in Bremen, Germany, from 03/07/2019 to 05/07/2019
Short description: The aim of the event was to present the state of democracy in the EU, democracy’s forgotten turning points and provoke debate on the rise of Euroscepticism and future of the EU after the elections. We fostered a constructive dialogue on the EP turnout rates and understanding the weakness and strengths of the EU project as a useful, constructive and positive driver for European integration.
